


Sparkling White is Just As Nice

by HipsterIzzy



Category: Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Anal Sex, College AU, M/M, Pining, Rhys makes terrible life decisions, Underage Drinking, Valentine's Angst, Vasquez is a terrible date, and terrible in general
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:58:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8452600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HipsterIzzy/pseuds/HipsterIzzy
Summary: This is definitely not how Rhys thought he'd be spending his first adult Valentine's Day.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sidestory to a college au RP between myself and [ZellieAlmasy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ZellieAlmasy/works). Rhys walks away from Jack, and this is what happens in the meantime.

If you had asked Rhys a month ago how he’d be spending his first valentine’s day in college, he wouldn’t know what to tell you. But it definitely wouldn’t involve anything that’s currently going on.

His evening had started innocently enough. Hugo had picked him up around 7 in his candy apple red sports car. The boy absolutely hated Hugo’s car. The doors swooped up instead of opening out like a normal car, and Rhys hated waiting for it to slide up, because it meant there was a greater chance of someone seeing him getting into this loser’s car. But Hugo insisted it was a top-of-the-line model. So Rhys got in and kept his arms folded over his chest in disdain the whole way to whatever big-chain steakhouse they ended up at.

_Jack would’ve cooked dinner for me himself._

Hugo had ordered the t-bone special for both of them, well-done, a waste of steak if you asked Rhys. But Hugo never gave him time to protest. Once the waiter had left, the dark-haired man had reached across the table and taken Rhys’s hand, spouting something cheesy about how “great” tonight was going to be.

Rhys had been the one to seek Hugo out in the first place, and to be fair to the man, he really was trying to show Rhys a good time, the boy supposed. When he’d first approached the mid-level manager, he’d only known him as Assquez (or Wallethead, but he’d never bring that one up, because it was Jack’s cruel joke, and he was doing this to forget about Jack). He’d quickly been corrected that it was _Vasquez_ , Hugo Vasquez, but he was then invited to call the man “any time”. Rhys guessed cheesiness was just part of Hugo’s special niche of charm.

And Hugo had been pretty comforting at first. He didn’t complain when Rhys wormed his way under his arm for cuddles, even going so far as to call Rhys “adorable”. He let Rhys cry on his shoulder that one time, though he didn’t know that Rhys was crying because Hugo wasn’t _Jack_. And he was totally fine with curling up on the couch and watching junk TV without it turning to sex (but Hugo usually fell asleep pretty fast, leaving Rhys to let himself out and catch the bus back to campus).

“Rhys, you barely ate half your steak! You, uh…not feeling okay?” Hugo’s voice broke Rhys from his thoughts, causing him to blush. He was being a rude date.

“Oh! Yeah, no, I’m fine, I’m good. I guess I’m just missing my parents, is all.” He flashed an embarrassed smile at the older man, knowing Hugo would never catch on to his lie.

Hugo returned it with a sleazy smirk. “If it’ll make you feel better, you can call me Daddy~”

Rhys rolled his eyes. There was only one man who could get Rhys to call him daddy, and Hugo’s quick-shooting ways could never hope to come close. The man couldn’t even deliver a proper spanking. Just a couple of quick swats, then a husky, “Get on your knees, darling.”

Before Rhys could respond, Hugo was standing and heading over to the counter to pay. Noting that the man didn’t leave a tip, Rhys quickly pulled a handful of bills and tucked them under his water glass before scurrying along to catch up.

The ride back to Hugo’s place was almost as quiet as the ride to the steakhouse. The only difference being that Hugo had put on some cd labeled “Slow Jamz”, which consisted of some of the worst music Rhys had ever heard. It was all saxophones and synthesized percussion tracks. And Hugo kept glancing over to Rhys and licking his lips, which kind of made Rhys feel a bit queasy.

But once Hugo had parked, he hustled around to help Rhys climb out, even offering his arm to escort the boy to the door. Hugo’s loft wasn’t a penthouse, but it was cozy. He kept to a minimalist style (easy to do with the Swedish modern furniture he seemed to prefer). Hugo took his sweater and invited Rhys to make himself comfortable. So Rhys plopped himself on the couch and pulled out his phone.

When Hugo returned, he held two short-stemmed glasses in his hands. They were filled with a bubbly beige liquid that Rhys assumed to be a sparkling white.

_“Did mommy not tell you what happens when you chug half a bottle of Dom Perignon?”_

Rhys angrily shoved Jack’s words out of his head, reminding himself that Jack was nothing more than a pretentious asshole with too much money and little to no regard for people who weren’t Jack. Sparkling white masquerading as champagne could be just as good as that overpriced swill. Rhys gladly took his glass and drank deeply.

“Whoa there, tiger, you’re supposed to savor champagne.” Rhys looked up to find Hugo watching him with a look of mild concern. “I know you miss your parents, but that’s no reason to get plastered. You’ll miss out on all the fun~”

Rhys couldn’t help but to quirk a brow up and give Hugo a flirty little half grin. “This is a sparkling white~ The label might’ve said ‘champagne’, but $20 says the grapes were grown out in California~”

“Ohoho, so you think you know your stuff, hot shot~? I’ll see your $20 and throw in a blowie~” With that, Hugo stood and hurried back to the kitchen. He returned half a minute later, brows furrowed as he read the label. “Damn…” He looked back up at Rhys. “How’d you know they were Californian?”

“My mom hates that brand. Always complains that they’re liars when we pass it in the supermarket~” Rhys grinned, ready to ignore the stinging laughter he thought would follow.

Instead, the other man set the bottle down on his coffee table, then took his seat and pulled Rhys into his lap. “You’re an awful cute kid, Rhys~ I don’t think I’ll ever let you go.” He pressed his lips to Rhys’s cheek and the boy had to force himself to not squirm away. He even tilted his head as Hugo’s lips moved lower, giggling quietly when Hugo’s facial hair tickled the sensitive spot on his neck.

_Jack would’ve known how to treat that spot properly, instead of just accidentally grazing over it and moving on like this bumbling idiot._

That thought had Rhys pulling away and reaching for his wine glass, leaving the larger man to pout playfully. “Where do you think you’re going, sweet cheeks?”

“I’m…just thirsty~ It might not be champagne, but it’s, uh…tasty~?” Rhys offered a nervous smile, but he could tell Hugo wasn’t buying it.

Hugo was now grinning devilishly at the boy. “Oh, no, now that’s just precious. Look, Rhys, you don’t have to lie to me. I know what’s going on.”

Rhys swallowed thickly, suddenly paranoid that the other man had caught on, that he’d figured out Rhys was just using him as a rebound. Somehow, Hugo knew that Rhys was still pining after–

“Yeah, you’re nervous about what’s coming next~ It’s cute, really.” Hugo reached up to run his fingers through Rhys’s hair in what Rhys assumed to be a loving manner. “We’ve done some…pretty raunchy things in the short time we’ve had together. But you still get flustered at the thought of coming ass-to-tip with _El Jefe_ ~” Hugo’s fingers paused as he puzzled over his own wording. “Or…I guess ass-to-balls? Look, the point is, you’re gonna be coming.”

With that debacle apparently settled, Hugo used the hand in Rhys’s hair to tilt his head up and lock him into a sloppy kiss. After a moment of hesitation, Rhys decided to just go with it, enjoy his first adult valentine’s day. He wrapped his arms around Hugo’s neck and melted into the kiss.

Slowly, Hugo slid his hands under Rhys’s tshirt, trailing his blunt nails up the soft skin underneath. Unfortunately, pretending he was more turned on than he actually was didn’t help block out Rhys’s memories of Jack. Hugo just wasn’t the same. Hugo didn’t really like to waste time on foreplay. Even on special occasions, like tonight, Rhys was quickly stripped and turned around, pushed and maneuvered by thick fingers until he was on his hands and knees.

The advantage to Hugo’s favorite position was that Rhys could bury his face in the couch cushion, which made it easier to pretend he was enjoying this. Tonight was different, though. Tonight, Rhys couldn’t stop thinking about Jack. And he was trying, sure, but Hugo just wasn’t enough of a distraction.

Rhys had tried offering his opinion during sex with Hugo. He had tried telling the man how to touch him, where to kiss him, what he liked or didn’t like. But all Hugo had said was that he wasn’t like anyone else Rhys had been with, and he wasn’t gonna start now. And this typically left Rhys to take care of himself.

It really shouldn’t have surprised Rhys that his mind would wander to Jack tonight. Between Jack and Hugo, Rhys had spent a couple of nights with random guys on campus, and though it may not be saying much, Jack was still the best guy he’d ever been with. Jack knew exactly how to touch him and take care of him. But thinking about Jack still hurt, and Hugo was almost finished (Rhys could tell by the way Hugo’s breath was hitching) by the time Rhys realized tears were rolling down his face. Rhys barely had enough time to collect himself before Hugo pulled away, and if Hugo noticed Rhys wiping at his eyes, he didn’t say anything. He simply padded down the tiny hall and into the bathroom to wash up and throw the condom away.

That was another way Hugo was different. He insisted on wearing a condom. When Rhys had complained, the older man had laughed it off and joked that he didn’t want to get Rhys pregnant. If Hugo had just told Rhys he wanted to be safe, or that he cared about their health, Rhys wouldn’t have thrown his shoe at him and they might have had a more enjoyable night that time. But Rhys never brought it up again.

When Hugo returned from the bathroom, he tossed a damp cloth to Rhys and told him to clean up.

“You’ve, uh, probably gotta get back to school or whatever, huh?” Hugo wouldn’t look up to meet the boy’s gaze. So Rhys quickly cleaned himself off and gathered his clothes to get dressed.

“Yeah, I’ve gotta get to the office early tomorrow. Jack’s got me working on a pretty important project. You know your way out. And hey, happy Valentine’s Day, kid.” Hugo shot Rhys a pair of finger guns and disappeared into his bedroom before Rhys could even respond to that half-assed excuse.

So once Rhys was dressed, he snuck into the kitchen, found a brown paper bag, and swiped the half-empty bottle of sparkling white. Happy Valentine’s Day, indeed. Fuck Hugo, and fuck Jack, too, for that matter. Rhys was going to spend the rest of his Valentine’s Day drowning them both out.

Despite his master plan, Rhys spent the entire bus ride back to campus thinking about how tonight would’ve been infinitely better if he could’ve spent it with Jack. How Jack would’ve cooked for him, probably even made dessert. And he would’ve paired both with some kind of expensive alcohol that the boy really could’ve cared less for, but would be touched all the same, because Jack liked to be dramatic and had to have everything be perfect. After that, the CEO certainly wouldn’t have had him on the couch. No, Jack would’ve laid him out atop silk sheets on that ridiculously-sized bed. He would’ve taken his time with Rhys, kissing and caressing and teasing until Rhys was begging for it. And then Jack would’ve made absolutely sure that Rhys got to come, maybe even made sure they did it together. Then, when it was all over, when they were both satisfied, Jack would’ve pulled him close, kissed his forehead, and whispered sweet things to him before they fell asleep. Sweet things like--

_“Nobody can make you feel as good as I can, sweetheart.”_

Before he knew it, the bus was pulling up to the university stop, and the bottle was nearly empty. Rhys made his way to his dorm, the thought of Jack’s arms around him the only thought on his mind. So the second he shut and locked his door, he stripped down to his boxers, then rummaged through his closet until he found the well-worn yellow sweater. He pulled it over his head and settled onto his bed to finish off the bottle.

It wasn’t until he had Jack’s contact information pulled up on his screen that Rhys realized he was about to drunkenly dial his ex (no, only his friend’s dad, a little fling, nothing more, because you can’t be an ex if you weren’t even dating). Instead, he hit the little envelope icon, because a drunk text on Valentine’s night was obviously the rational choice. He attached a picture to it, one of himself and Hugo snuggled up together in Hugo’s loft, along with a nice little caption to let Jack know someone else was making him feel better. Surely if he showed Jack that he’d moved on, he’d be able to forget about Jack, right?

Because Hugo really loved him…Right..?


End file.
